9 Best Cat Foods in 2025, Recommended By Vets
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All products in this article have been reviewed by our trusted vets and experts. PetMD is owned by Chewy.
Feeding your cat a nutritious diet is vital for their health. But with so many options on the shelves, how can you know what’s the best cat food?
There’s no one-size-fits-all healthy cat food, as it all depends on your cat’s unique needs and preferences. The best cat food is one that is complete and balanced, formulated with high-quality ingredients, and backed by research, but it should also be suited to your cat's life stage and tailored to any specific health needs, such as for weight loss.
To help make the decision a bit easier, we asked our team to curate a list of veterinary-approved cat foods. Here are the best cat foods, as recommended by our team of veterinarians.
What To Consider When Choosing the Best Cat Food
When shopping for the best cat food for your pet, consider the following:
AAFCO Standards
Look for the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) statement of nutritional adequacy on the cat food label to confirm the formula provides complete and balanced nutrition and meets the minimum nutritional standards.
Ingredients
Choose high quality yet simple ingredients without artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives. Cat food with the AAFCO label meets the minimum nutritional standards for certain nutrients, including crude protein, crude fat, vitamins, and minerals. For added benefit, look for cat food with helpful ingredients like:
- Lean proteins for weight management and muscle mass, such as chicken, turkey, or fish
- Prebiotics and probiotics for gut and immune support
- Omega-3 fatty acids (such as fish oil or hempseed oil), glucosamine, and chondroitin for anti-inflammatory help
- Fiber for intestinal and hairball support
- Antioxidants for immune system support
Cat’s Life Stage
Choose a food formulated for your cat’s life stage, whether your cat is a kitten, adult, or senior. For example, kittens do well with a diet that supports their overall development while senior-formulated diets help older cats maintain muscle mass and support kidney health and mobility.
Cat’s Health
Cats may need a specialized diet if they have health conditions, such as obesity, skin conditions, stomach sensitivities, or dental disease.
Dry vs. Wet Cat Food
Both dry and wet cat food are great nutrition sources. When deciding whether to feed wet or dry cat food, consider your cat’s specific needs, preferences, and your budget.
Wet cat food contains more moisture, which helps cats who need more water (such as those with diabetes, kidney disease, or lower urinary tract disease), and it’s soft, making it a good choice for cats who have dental issues. Dry cat food can be less expensive, can be used in an automatic feeder, and is easily stored.
Your Vet’s Input
No one knows your cat’s unique health and nutritional needs like their veterinarian. Consulting your veterinarian or even a board-certified veterinary nutritionist is always a good idea, especially if your cat has any special health concerns or is transitioning to a new life stage.
Budget
You want to find a cat food that meets the needs of your cat but is also suitable for your budget. Cats don’t react well to frequent changes of their food if you keep switching to what’s currently on sale.
Most of the diets on our list come with higher price tags, but they offer research-backed, high-quality nutrition.
How We Choose the Best Cat Foods
This list of the best cat foods was meticulously curated by a panel of veterinarians who are employed by Chewy, the publisher of PetMD.
They were asked to choose the best cat foods in their honest opinion, across multiple categories, based on the following:
- Brand reputation
- Clinical trials and science-backed research
- Ingredients (nutritional value)
- Palatability
- Price
Opinions and product recommendations in this article belong solely to the review panel of veterinarians. Manufacturers and vendors cannot pay for placement in Vet Verified articles or exert influence on our panelists as they evaluate products.
Our sole goal with this program is to provide you with the information you need to make the best decision for your pets.
Cat Food FAQs
What is the healthiest food you can feed a cat?
The healthiest food for your cat will depend on their individual needs. Generally speaking, the healthiest cat foods are complete and balanced, made with high-quality ingredients, and come from a trusted brand with board-certified veterinary nutritionists on staff.
Top vet-recommended cat foods include Purina Pro Plan, Hill’s Science Diet, and Royal Canin.
Is expensive cat food really better?
Price is not necessarily an indication of the quality of the cat food. Better indicators of quality cat food include formulas supported by research, expert-backed nutrition, and beneficial ingredients. Such diets dotend to cost more, though that is not always the case, and some diets come with a premium price tag but without the science-backed nutrition.
How can I tell if a cat food is working?
Monitor your cat’s weight and health to confirm the cat food you are feeding is working. New health conditions and or signs like weight loss or gain, bad appetite, digestive upset, skin or coat sensitivities, and lack of energy indicate it’s time to discuss dietary changes with your veterinarian.
How do you transition your cat to a new food?
Switch your cat to the new food gradually. For Days 1 and 2, feed 75% of the old food and 25% of the new food. On Days 3 and 4, give 50% new and 50% old. For Days 5 and 6, feed 75% new and 25% old food. Feed just the new food on Day 7.
If any issues arise, go back to the previous ratio of old and new food for a few days. Some cats can take two weeks or longer to transition to a new food.